Popular baby names in Tennessee, 1979

The most popular baby names in Tennessee in 1979 were Amanda for girls (1,212 babies) and Michael for boys (1,247). Amanda ranked #3 nationally for girls. Social Security records list 61,338 babies born in Tennessee in 1979 with a name given to at least five children of the same sex in the state.

Names that stood out in Tennessee in 1979

Names given at least 15 times in Tennessee that year and at least twice as common as in the US as a whole.

Girls

Laquita: 24 babies, 6.9× the national rate
Tamekia: 17 babies, 5.6× the national rate
Tosha: 25 babies, 4.4× the national rate
Chasity: 66 babies, 4.2× the national rate
Latosha: 35 babies, 4.1× the national rate
Ginger: 54 babies, 4× the national rate
Lakesha: 44 babies, 4× the national rate
Whitney: 62 babies, 3.7× the national rate
Shelia: 15 babies, 3.7× the national rate
Lora: 38 babies, 3.6× the national rate

Boys

Scottie: 31 babies, 6.5× the national rate
Marty: 32 babies, 5× the national rate
Chadwick: 51 babies, 4.8× the national rate
Scotty: 41 babies, 4.2× the national rate
Quinton: 21 babies, 4.2× the national rate
Donnie: 45 babies, 4.1× the national rate
Mickey: 19 babies, 4× the national rate
Jackie: 30 babies, 3.8× the national rate
Joey: 67 babies, 3.2× the national rate
Courtney: 48 babies, 3.1× the national rate

Top 50 girls' and boys' names in Tennessee, 1979

Girls
Rank	Name	Babies	vs 1978	US rank
1	Amanda	1,212	↑1	3
2	Jennifer	1,133	↓1	1
3	Melissa	612	↑4	2
4	Amy	515	↓1	5
5	Heather	512	↓1	7
6	April	507	↑4	23
7	Angela	501	↓2	8
8	Jessica	486	↑4	4
9	Kimberly	456	↓3	12
10	Crystal	427	↓2	18
11	Elizabeth	367	↑6	11
12	Stephanie	359	↓3	15
13	Mary	350	–	24
14	Rebecca	338	↑1	17
15	Misty	326	↓4	42
16	Brandy	319	↑2	39
17	Lisa	303	↑2	13
18	Kelly	284	↓4	16
19	Rachel	279	↑1	27
20	Sarah	277	↑2	6
21	Jamie	272	↑2	19
22	Tiffany	265	↑4	28
23	Christina	263	↓2	14
24	Amber	253	↑11	22
25	Ashley	253	↑9	67
26	Christy	251	↓10	72
27	Laura	244	↓3	20
28	Michelle	210	↑1	10
29	Emily	209	↓1	34
30	Andrea	195	↓3	26
31	Carrie	190	↓1	41
32	Julie	188	↓1	29
33	Shannon	183	↓8	25
34	Holly	180	↑7	48
35	Erica	175	↑8	32
36	Leslie	173	↑6	65
37	Brandi	152	↑3	61
38	Tonya	149	↓6	86
39	Lori	142	↑5	69
40	Kristy	135	↓7	56
41	Tracy	133	↓5	49
42	Stacy	132	↑5	43
43	Katherine	131	new	36
44	Tina	122	↓7	58
45	Nicole	121	new	9
46	Dana	120	new	54
47	Karen	120	↓2	46
48	Sara	120	new	30
49	Melanie	118	↑1	53
50	Erin	117	new	21

Boys
Rank	Name	Babies	vs 1978	US rank
1	Michael	1,247	–	1
2	James	1,241	–	5
3	Jason	1,212	–	3
4	Christopher	1,210	–	2
5	Joshua	863	↑4	9
6	John	834	–	7
7	William	811	–	13
8	David	805	↓3	4
9	Robert	771	↓1	8
10	Jeremy	699	–	16
11	Matthew	576	↑2	6
12	Brian	557	↓1	10
13	Charles	520	↓1	28
14	Joseph	502	–	11
15	Daniel	492	↑2	12
16	Timothy	438	↑2	18
17	Kevin	416	↓2	19
18	Jonathan	402	↓2	31
19	Travis	390	↑13	36
20	Eric	348	↑1	17
21	Brandon	342	↑7	35
22	Justin	326	↑7	22
23	Richard	324	↓3	25
24	Anthony	305	↓5	21
25	Steven	302	↓2	27
26	Thomas	302	↓4	26
27	Adam	299	–	23
28	Nicholas	288	↑7	15
29	Jeffrey	279	↓5	24
30	Andrew	273	↓5	20
31	Stephen	249	–	40
32	Benjamin	247	↓2	33
33	Mark	247	↓7	30
34	Kenneth	229	↓1	41
35	Nathan	227	↑1	37
36	Bradley	206	↑5	47
37	Marcus	194	–	76
38	Larry	183	↑2	69
39	Chad	182	–	38
40	Aaron	170	↑2	32
41	Paul	169	↓7	34
42	Ryan	168	↑4	14
43	Jerry	163	↑6	85
44	Patrick	158	new	39
45	Gregory	156	↓7	42
46	Billy	155	↓2	97
47	Bryan	155	↑1	46
48	Scott	153	new	29
49	Donald	150	new	51
50	Samuel	149	↓5	55

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